Ubuntu
unity package

Is this true?

Asked by michael

Is this true? Local Linux User Group sent me this. Does Ubuntu 12.10 have large security hole in Dash?

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October 29, 2012 | By Micah Lee
Privacy in Ubuntu 12.10: Amazon Ads and Data Leaks

Earlier this month the eagerly awaited free software operating system Ubuntu 12.10 was released, and it includes a slew of new features (YouTube link), some of which have infuriated users because of privacy concerns.

Over the last couple of years Canonical Ltd, the company that develops Ubuntu, has been pushing the Ubuntu desktop in new directions with the desktop environment called Unity. A key feature of Unity is Dash, a single place to search for apps, documents, music, and other data on your computer. Starting with the latest release of Ubuntu, Dash is also starting to search the Internet for you. While some people find this convenient, others find it a violation of their privacy. Luckily, Ubuntu makes it easy to turn this off. Scroll down to "How to Disable Amazon Ads and Data Leaks" to learn how.

The first thing you'll notice about the new Dash is that when you search for something, you not only see local files but also Amazon-affiliated advertisements for products. There has been a massive outcry of complaints from the Ubuntu community about this, as well as a bug reports, both serious ("Don't include remote searches in the home lens", "Direct data leaking to Amazon") and tongue in cheek ("grep -R doesn't automatically search amazon", "Spyware coverage incomplete - limited to Dash"). Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of Ubuntu, defended the decision to include Amazon ads in Dash:

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N1ck 7h0m4d4k15 (nicktux) said : 		#1

Hi,

There is nothing about security hole here.

Yes the integration of Amazon in Dash is true , but you can disable this anytime you want. Ubuntu gives you the free choice to do anything you want unlike other Operating Systems.

These charges I saw them all over the Internet , you know ?

The popularity of Ubuntu as the biggest Linux distribution and/or as the most thriving free and open source Operating System annoys many :-)

Don't believe nonsense.

Thanks

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Warren Hill (warren-hill) said : 		#2

The major advantage of Linux over other OSs it that you know what you are getting because its open source and you can change it if you want.

Many people like Amazon integration with the dash; personally I don't so I removed it see here:

http://www.creativetux.com/2012/10/removing-amazon-shopping-inunity-ubuntu.html

With a commercial OS such as Windows its nowhere as easy to remove features you don't like and because its closed source you have no idea what information it may be collecting about you/

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actionparsnip (andrew-woodhead666) said : 		#3

sudo apt-get remove unity-lens-shopping

and it's gone. Not hard

Some people like it, some don't.

Note: This is only present if you use Unity. Otherwise it's not present or used (Xubuntu, Kubuntu and Lubuntu don't have the lens or Unity).

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michael (yellupcm-gmail) said : 		#4

All three answered my question.